M7: Alter Ego’s Aggression Made The Difference - Arcadia

From Muhammad Zulkarnain Mohd Azman

JAKARTA, Jan 25 (Bernama) -- Selangor Red Giants (SRG) head coach Michael Angelo Bocado, better known as Arcadia, admitted that Alter Ego’s aggressive and unorthodox hero draft was decisive in their 1-3 defeat in the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) M7 World Championship lower bracket final here yesterday.

He said the loss was especially painful as SRG had dropped games they believed were within their control.

“First of all, their aggressiveness puts every team under pressure. (Indonesia’s) Alter Ego are basically global fighters, they always try to maximise teamfights and push the tempo. 

“At the same time, it’s not just about in-game fighting because their draft is unique and unorthodox. When a team becomes predictable in the draft, it’s hard to adapt, but Alter Ego keeps things subjective and creative,” he said during the post-match press conference yesterday.

Arcadia also expressed pride in the squad’s consistency and growth, having finished third in consecutive M Series editions.

“I am very proud of my team. We are better than last year. Achieving third place again at the world stage shows the sacrifice, hard work and commitment the players have put in. 

“Even though it is heartbreaking, they gave their best and that is something we can be proud of,” he said.

Meanwhile, the lower bracket final between SRG and Alter Ego set a new world record as the most-watched mobile esports match of all time, recording 5.59 million peak concurrent viewers (PCV), according to Esports Charts.

The previous record of 5.36 million PCV was set earlier in the tournament during Alter Ego’s match against Team Liquid Philippines (TLPH), making the M7 World Championship the highest-viewed M Series edition in history.

-- BERNAMA